7 - A Data Modeller's Approach to Optimizing the Campaign Build

The Data Model per se, is a critical element in performance management not just for marketing platforms but any enterprise application that is data driven. No Surprise, that this is possibly the least focused on area on Marketing platforms. A detailed analysis of Marketing db structures is really out of scope here, but let it suffice to say that some MSPs have standard data models that they force fit for all marketers, some have a degree of flexibility while some are close to 100% customizable. The standing caveat  is that more abstract and flexible the platform higher the abstraction and lesser the performance of your marketing db -aka campaigns. Remember Spiderman ?? With great power comes great responsibility –meaning you and you alone are accountable for the design and performance of the monster you just created because the platform let you do so.
The data structures around an Email Marketing database need to cater to the four sources of data that are used across a Campaign Build Process as shown in Fig 4.

The four sources of information in the figure above need to be rationalized from a data design perspective in order to expedite the Campaign Build Process and there is generally a contextual trade off between normalization and using wide columns views. There is a plethora of areas available to tweak and rationalize the structures that can provide high returns. Some areas that that can directly benefit the campaign build process are listed below. Remember they are guidelines and you do need to have the capability to balance needs and use cases contextually to adopt an optimal design approach and be open to constant change. Do remember no db design in cast in stone. It will continually evolve as business, direction and customers change.The table below depicts a possible design approach for common use cases in a marketing repository.

Well, data modelling is an art and a science -designing a marketing database is no less a challenge. Being sensitive to how different marketing platforms structure your core CRM data elements gives a marketeer good control in preventing campaign performance issues and designing a scalable marketing engine.